


Time of Change

by maryperk



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-17
Updated: 2014-09-17
Packaged: 2018-02-17 18:58:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2319977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maryperk/pseuds/maryperk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written as a pressie for athenewolfe who gave a challenge on darker_spike. The challenge was for five ways and a time travel Spike, so I wrote Spike and five others who went back with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time of Change

One-shot

Spike watched as the vortex opened. It was his chance, his one chance to change the world. Should he go back? Did he dare? He always said magic had consequences, and this would be no exception. Hell, it would change the world. Possibly make is a better place, but there was risk. What if going back saved her, but it also made things worse? Would she want to live if someone else died? 

Perhaps the most haunting thought, and the real reason of his hesitation, was simple: What if he went back and nothing changed? Could he watch her die again? Could he watch her take the jump, save the world and hold everything together again? Would he want to live through another resurrection, more beatings and the abuse they would heap on each other? 

What if it worked? What if he saved the girl? What if he spared her the pain and allowed her to live her normal life? There would be no resurrection to trigger the First. She'd have no reason for her to be depressed to turn to him for understanding, for comfort, for love. He could lose everything that they had, but Buffy would be happy. 

He hesitated. Was it worth it? There was no guarantee of a happy ending. There were no promises of sunshine and roses. He merely had a chance to do something about the past, a chance he had no right to take. 

He shouldn't even be here. Ironically it really was his day off. He couldn't say no when they called. Another damsel was in distress, a sacrifice to open a time portal. It was a window into the past, but he wasn't even sure when. 

He was too late, like always. That seemed to be his manta. The portal was open, and the sacrifice dead. He quickly took out the demons in charge. He swore the portal was taunting him. Shimmery and shining, promising an entrance to the past: a chance to make things right, a chance to make everything better. 

Hell, when had he ever done the smart thing? 

Spike jumped and the world began to change.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Spike looked around him and sniffed the polluted Los Angeles air. This wasn't what he was expecting at all. He found himself standing in the middle of a large, well-groomed cemetery. Spike could hear the faint echo of voices bounce off the surrounding crypts. He approached the direction that the sounds were coming from, and he chuckled when he saw a young Buffy stomping around breaking headstones while shouting at the tall man with mustache that Spike didn't recognize. The vampire almost felt sorry for the guy, having been on the receiving end of the Slayer's temper before. Spike decided now was the time to take over the Poof's role, and he stepped out of the shadows.

"Slayer," Spike said tentatively. He was a little scared to interrupt her spectacular Slayer tantrum, but he really did want to talk to her.

"Spike?" Buffy forgot about her ire and whirled around to look at the vampire. "What the hell are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here yet. This is L.A., not Sunnydale."

"Well, funny story, that..."

"You know they say third time's a charm," Buffy continued. "You do your duty, you die, but do you get to rest? No! You get resuscitated, resurrected and then slammed into your 15 year old body again. It's just not fair!" She stomped her foot and grimaced as she threw her long hair over her shoulder. 

"Well, I see where Nibblet gets her theatrics from," Spike chuckled. He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud. "So, what do we have to kill, luv?"

"There's a big, stupid vampire with a slayer obsession out to get me," Buffy muttered. "He'll kill Merrick here, and then I get the joy of burning down the high school gym while it's full of minions."

"Hmm, my slayer's a destructive little bint, ain't she?" Spike stepped closer to Buffy to touch her hair. It felt like it had been forever since he had been with her and yet, here she was right in front of him.

"Your slayer?" Merrick sputtered. "I'm her Watcher, not you." He didn't recognize the man as any Council employee that he knew, and the bleached blond's accent was atrocious. However, the smaller man exuded an air of arrogance and confidence that seemed to rub Merrick the wrong way. The only other person he had ever met that did that was another Watcher by the name of Rupert Giles.

"I'm not part of your Council of Wankers, mate," Spike sneered. "I'm here for one person, and one person only, and that's Buffy." He stood behind Buffy as he confronted the Watcher.

"Spike, how'd you get here?" Buffy asked. She still hadn't come to terms with the fact that Spike was there with her: his hands on her shoulders, his breath ruffling her hair, his hard cock pressed against the small of her back.

"They said I was needed, luv." Spike tightened his grip on her shoulders. "They said I could make you happy."

"Oh, you're gonna make me happy," Buffy vowed. "I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again, and if you dust I'll find a way to bring you back so I can pummel you into the ground."

"Dust? You're a vampire?" Merrick stepped back while he dragged a stake out of his pocket. "Just what the heck is going on around here?"

"You know, Slayer, there's a little something in Sunnyhell that'll help me against gettin' dusted again anytime soon." Spike ignored the Watcher's questions. He stared down into the Slayer's eyes. "I have no plans on bein' trapped in that soddin' amulet ever again."

"You were trapped?" Buffy bit her lip as tears began to stream down her face. "I should have had Angel wear the damned thing. He got it from that big, evil law firm of his. He took on the senior partners and destroyed the world. Stupid vampire."

"Would you quit ignoring me, and give me some blasted answers?" Merrick growled before he stepped closer to the blond couple. His eyes grew round as the explanations fell from their lips. This was definitely something not written about in any of the Watcher's Journals.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

A FEW DAYS LATER.

"I'm sorry we couldn't save the Watcher, Slayer," Spike murmured in Buffy's ear while they stood watching the gym burn to the ground. "But, look on the bright side, luv. Chaos, disorder and confusion are in full swing. I'd say we did a damned good job here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Joyce was panicked. She'd heard on the radio that the gym at Hemery High School was ablaze, and she knew her teenaged daughter was there that night for a dance. She parked a couple of blocks away unable to get any closer to the school. Then, she walked the rest of the way. Joyce was surprised when she found her daughter standing in the arms of a decidedly older bleached blond male, but before she could say anything Buffy kissed him soundly. She listened cautiously when her daughter began to speak.

"Spike, Mom's gonna be offered the gallery job in Sunnydale in a few weeks," Buffy said, "That means the Master is already preparing Luke for the Harvest. He needs to be eliminated. Darla, too, if possible."

"Shouldn't be too hard to get close, Slayer," Spike replied. "They don't know about soul, and it's not like it's all William-scented or anything."

"I know. You're still my big bad," Buffy sighed. "You might want to scout out the rest of the gang while you're there, including Cordelia and Oz. He's not a werewolf yet, but there's not much that surprises him. He's a good guy to have at your back."

Joyce raised her hand to press the palm of her hand against her forehead. She had realized her daughter had changed somehow in the past few days, but to talk about eliminating someone, and souls, and werewolves... that was just crazy talk... wasn't it?

"My dad should be telling mom that he's boinking his personal assistant any day now." Buffy rolled her eyes. 

"Your dad is an idiot, luv. Any man who'd give your mum up for a quick roll in the hay should be drawn and quartered," Spike growled. He tightened his arms around Buffy while they watched the firefighters hose down the burning gym. "You know, you never told me much of your pre-Spike history. Was all of it this exciting?"

"You betcha," Buffy muttered. "Maybe this time we can change a few things, especially if you go make one of your spectacular sign-destroying Sunnydale entrances."

"Yeah, I love making an entrance," Spike said snarkily. "Grand exits can be exhilarating, too." He inhaled sharply, and Joyce distinctly heard him whisper into her daughter's ear, "Your mum's here, pet."

"Buffy Anne Summers, what is going on here, and who is this man?" Joyce questioned. She stepped out of the shadows to confront the two blonds. 

"The 'we're in a band together' excuse didn't work too well last time, if I remember correctly," Spike snickered. "And I've no particular desire to have m'head cracked open with an axe this time around."

"But you sing so pretty, Spike," Buffy laughed. "And, look, no axe. Mom's weapon free, oh manly one." She gestured towards her mom, who looked as if she was wondering how the conversation got away from her with just one question.

"You Summers' women are never weapon free, Slayer," Spike grumbled in return. "Your mum's got her hot chocolate and guilt trips, you've got your 'stupid' shiny hair and pouty lip, and the Nibblet has her ear-shattering shriek and death threats. There's only so much a vamp can take before he crumbles."

"You love us, and you know it, Spikey," Buffy chirped. Then she grimaced at her mother. "Hey, Mom! Just a warning, I'm gonna be kicked out of school for burning down the gym. We tried really hard not to, but it seems I can't seem to lose Destructo Buffy."

"Are you in a gang?" Joyce demanded. She stepped closer to Spike and Buffy. "Is that what this Slayer nickname is all about?"

"No, Mom, I'm not in a gang," Buffy announced softly. "All those things that go bump in the night ... they really exist. In fact, Spike's one of those bumpy things. Show her the bumps, blondie." She giggled when Spike arched an eyebrow, and she cupped his cheek with her hand. 

Joyce watched while a look of joy washed over the pale, lean face of the peroxide blond. She decided that she had never seen such a look of total love and devotion before in her life. Hank had certainly never looked at _her_ like that. Joyce gasped when Spike's face transformed into that of a monster. She would have at least expected her daughter to run screaming in the other direction, but Buffy continued to smile up into his face. What surprised Joyce the most was that her daughter looked at the monster with the same amount of love and devotion that he held for her.

"I think I need a drink," Joyce groaned. She noticed the worried look on her daughter's face as well as the young man's. "I already know about your father's infidelity, Buffy, but I had hoped to keep it from you." She ignored Spike's 'bloody git' and continued on. "There's obviously something going on here that I need to know about, and I need to know if this is something that's gonna get you landed in jail or the hospital."

"Hmmm, closest I came to jail was when I killed your psychotic robot boyfriend, and I'll have a really nasty case of the flu when I'm 17 that lands me in the hospital, but other than that ... the cops in Sunnydale pretty much ignore the rampant 'gang members on PCP' sightings." Buffy said pleasantly, as if both situations were everyday occurances.

"Your mum dated a robot?" Spike chuckled. "When did that happen?"

"Right after I put you in the wheelchair." Buffy grinned cheekily. "But he didn't want to 'play checkers' with her."

"Never gonna live that down, am I?" Spike muttered.

"Nope." Buffy popped the 'p' sound at the end. "Maybe we should get mom somewhere where we can talk." She walked over to take her mom's arm. "Is it okay if Spike drives, Mom? He's older than dirt, you know. Besides, me and driving? Still very unmixy. Let me tell you about trying to drive in Rome..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~*

ONE WEEK LATER, IN SUNNYDALE

Xander watched the dancers on the lower level of the Bronze. He had been studying the blond vampire, Darla, for several weeks now. He was waiting for a time when she would be vulnerable, but the Master's minions constantly surrounded her. Xander shuddered as he thought about the damage the Aurelians would wreak on Sunnydale over the next few years. He moved to get a better view of his quarry when he suddenly recognized some very familiar peroxide blond hair and black leather circling the room below. 

_Spike's not suppose to be in town till next year,_ Xander thought. _I wonder..._ He made his way carefully down the stairs while he kept his eyes on the blond vampire. Xander started to circle the dance floor in the opposite direction that Spike was, and before long he was able to 'accidentally' bump into him. 

"Watch it, Captain Peroxide," Xander muttered on his way by, but he was hardly surprised when Spike returned his insult wholeheartedly.

"Havin' two eyes again hasn't improved your stealth any, droopy boy." Spike kept his eyes on Darla while he spoke to the teenager. He smirked when he saw the blond vampiress hone in on her prey of the evening. "Time to start prunin' the family tree."

Xander watched while Spike full out swaggered across the nightclub in full 'William the Bloody' mode to stop next to Darla. The vampiress didn't look at all pleased to see the cocky male vampire, but Xander could see that she quickly assented to Spike's presence, making Xander wonder what Spike had said. 

Darla approached her prey and in a matter of minutes had the young man bouncing at her heels like an eager puppy. Spike waited for a count of twenty before following. Xander saw him slip his hand down into the pocket of his duster that the vampire usually carried a stake in, and after his own count of twenty, the brunette teenager followed along himself.

Xander arrived in the alley behind the Bronze just in time to see Darla turn to dust. He was surprised when Spike threw a handful of herbs on the ashes and said some foreign sounding words. He came to stand next to the blond vampire where he inquired, "What the hell was that about, Deadboy Jr?"

"Remember that little chain incident that I had with Buffy?" Spike pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket. "Well, Dru told me she revamped Darla down in L.A. The Slayer and I decided nothing good could have come from that. So, we decided to make sure it didn't happen again."

"What idiot would want Darla back in the game?" Xander shuddered at the thought.

"Wolfram and Hart, I think." Spike searched his memories of the fateful night several years before ... or in the future, depending on how you look at it. "Dru said something about lawyers, and Buffy mentioned 'the big evil law firm' of Angelus', so..."

"Yeah, I get the picture," Xander muttered. "Deadboy and his delusions of grandeur."

Before any more responses could be uttered, the broad-shouldered dark haired vampire in question stepped out of the shadows. Angel had rounded the corner and entered the alley behind the most popular teenage nightclub in Sunnydale, when he spotted Spike talking to a young human. This odd behavior made him instantly suspicious. He knew Spike liked to 'play' with his food, but for him to not be in game face and casually smoking a cigarette was confusing.

"'ello Peaches," Spike greeted his grandsire. "I'd say it was great seein' ya, but I'd be lyin'." He turned his head to glance at Xander. "How about you, Harris? Glad to see tall, dark, and forehead?"

"Not particularly." Xander's eyes passed by Angel to the person that had just entered the alley behind him. "Hey, Wills, look who I found?"

"Minions," Willow squeaked while she pointed behind Spike and Xander, causing both males to look back over their shoulders. "Anybody got any stakes?"

Spike reached into his duster pockets and pulled out two stakes in each hand, while Xander pulled out one stake per hand. Willow flicked both hands in the air and the stakes sailed through the air hitting the minions square in the heart. Spike and Xander both smirked at Angel, who was staring at the red-headed girl in astonishment. It was obvious that the dark haired vampire had a hard time believing that she possessed that much power. 

"Good one, Red. Harris and I'll have to start carrying extra stakes." Spike waved Willow over. "Slayer wanted me to check things out around here. So, where's the rest of the Scoobies? The cheerleader and dogboy?"

"Cordy's still in bitch mode, but Oz's band is playing tonight. Xander and I thought we'd talk to him after his last set." Willow motioned towards the Bronze. "Come with us, Spike. I think you'd like him. He's really cool and you didn't get to know him before."

"You gonna date him again?" Spike asked. "What about the witchlet?" He turned his attention to Xander. "For that matter, where's demon-girl?"

Willow smiled a sweet, secretive smile. "Don't worry about Tara or Anya. They'll be here." She linked her arms through Spike and Xander's arms leaving a perplexed Angel standing alone in the alley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

SEVERAL WEEKS LATER (THINK FIRST EPISODE OF FIRST SEASON)

"Hello? Anybody here?" Buffy called out. Her voice echoed in the deserted library. Buffy gave a little shriek when a hand landed on her shoulder, and she whirled around to face the librarian. "Oh! Hey, Anybody, you're here."

"Can I help you?" Giles asked. He tried to play it cool, because he didn't want to scare the already skittish Slayer. He had searched the paper earlier for the article about the missing student that he knew had been killed by Darla, but couldn't find any sign of it. He was perplexed by the situation. It seemed that he was back at Sunnydale High, but events were not unfolding as they did before.

"I was looking for some books. I'm new," Buffy said. She didn't want to scare her Watcher on the first day with too much personal knowledge. There was no way she could come right out and ask him if he was her Giles or not. If he wasn't her Giles, she'd be in for one of his pestering research modes. She wasn't in the mood for that yet.

"Miss Summers?" Giles asked. "I'm Mr. Giles, the librarian. I was told you were coming." He went behind the counter to pull a book out from under the desk. "I know what you're after! 'Perspectives of 20th Century..."

"No, actually I was looking for a book on vampires," Buffy muttered. "I'm gonna read that damned handbook if it's the last thing I do." She glanced down at her watch. "Oh crud, I gotta go, Giles, I'm meeting Spike for lunch."

"Miss Summers, do you have any idea who this Spike creature is?" Giles asked. 

Giles' question alerted Buffy into knowing whom she was dealing with. "Good grief, Giles. He sacrificed himself to save the world," Buffy growled. "The least you could do was treat him with the respect he deserves." She whirled around, and she marched out of the library.

"G-man, you really stuck your foot in it this time," Xander's voice echoed down from the upper stacks. "And you better not partner up with Woods, 'cuz the Buffinator let Spikey dig up his pretty little gem and keep it. 'Sides, we eliminated a few ... problems. Next on the plate is the Master. Considering Buffy opened some whoop ass up on that freak last time around, and she didn't have Spike to help her then, that's in the bag I'm sure."

"Xander, how many times have I told you not to call me that?" Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. He realized that he was definitely not alone in the time warp department.

"About a million." Xander walked down the stairs. "Hey, you can call me Cyclops. Spike does." He grinned at the astonished Watcher. "It's the five of us, I guess. You, me, Willow, Buffy and Spike. We've gone over and over it, but we can't figure out why us and not any of the others. No rhyme or reason, I guess."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

This section is for wulfie who wanted someone else to be thrown back in time, too. 

THREE YEARS LATER 

"So, Giles, we're fired again, and Faith's gonna get Wesley for a Watcher," Buffy grumbled. She smiled at the others gathered around the table at the Magic Box. Giles had decided to purchase the shop earlier this time, making it the headquarters instead of the school library. It saved them considerable grief and run-ins with Principal Snyder.

"He wasn't so bad the few times I went to L.A. to help out Angel Investigations," Willow said. "You should have seen him with Fred. He adored her." She smiled at Tara who sat on her left and at Oz who sat on her right. There were days when Willow felt weirded out by having both a boyfriend and a girlfriend, but she loved them both so much she found she didn't care. Besides, it wasn't like the others of the group could really say anything. Buffy was with Spike, Cordelia was with Angel and Xander had managed to persuade Anyanka to date him despite her hatred of men.

"So is my Watcher gonna be cool or nerdy?" Faith asked. When she had arrived in Sunnydale, she had been welcomed with open arms. Faith had tried to be standoffish and a braggart when she had hit town, but that had quickly disappeared when Buffy had sat her down to tell her she was a damned good slayer. The group was still perplexed as to how she and Kendra had been called, considering that Buffy hadn't died at the hands of the Master again.

"Nerdy, at first, but we'll turn him around really fast once we get him out from under the Council's thumb," Xander laughed. He watched with pleasure as his best friend, Jesse, eyed Faith shyly. With Darla dusted by Spike early on, Jesse had become a valued member of the Scoobies, helping to even out the usually estrogen heavy group.

The Magic Box's door opened with a jingle. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce stepped inside the store where he stopped and blinked with astonishment. He surveyed the room quietly; searching the faces of each of the occupants. Finally he spoke, "Thank God, I'm not the only one! I was starting to go crazy."

The door opened again to allow a tall, brunette woman to enter the store. She bumped into Wesley when she tried to close the door behind her. She blinked a few times before she said in a Texan twang, "Hi, my name is Winifred, but you'll can call me Fred." She elbowed the silent Wesley gently. "Introduce me to your friends, Wesley."

Wesley took her hand, and smiled down at her. "This is Fred. I saved her from being sucked into another dimension. Fred, this is...."


End file.
